Exploring Subtext in Crazy Stupid Love and The Last of Us: A Deep Dive (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: When thinking or talking about subtext, this specific scene from Crazy Stupid Love always comes to mind.

Speaker 2: Hey, Cal. Hey. Hey.

Speaker 3: Oh, I just, uh, I got the report on the end of year financials. Good. Good, good. Really great. You killed this, uh, Gordon. Okay. Cal, seriously. Alright. Okay. Seriously. Who told you that Emily and I are getting divorced? You're getting a divorce? Yeah. Amy heard you crying in the bathroom. We all thought it was cancer. Oh. Thank God, man. Yeah, just my relationship.

Speaker 1: On the surface, his boss is happy because his worry of cancer isn't true and Cal is going to live. But under this surface, he is truly celebrating the fact that his employee is not going to die and therefore can continue to be useful to the company.

Speaker 2: It could have been cancer, buddy. Everyone, it's just a divorce.

Speaker 1: He does not care about Cal's feelings. He only cares about his productivity. This toxic and morbid relationship with his workplace is one of the reasons Cal is having a divorce in the first place. Subtext is what lays underneath what we see and hear. The text. When two characters are talking about something, they are truly talking about something else. Most of the time, just like in real life, characters are afraid and pained or simply embarrassed to say what they really think or want. Spoiler warning for episode 6 of The Last of Us. I said I might find you here. In Kin, the beautiful dialogue monologue between Joel and his brother Tommy carries an equally beautiful and rich subtext. Joel unloads on Tommy his worries and his fears. This ride to the university, is it a suicide mission? He tells him how he isn't the man he used to be, but that age has gotten to him. Five years ago, I would have destroyed him. But she had to shoot him to save me. Ellie is immune and needs someone younger and stronger to bring her to destination. Joel has gotten weaker with the years. He's scared that he'll get Ellie killed and asks Tommy to take his place and bring her to the Fireflies. That's the best shot the world has to obtain a vaccine from her and defeat the infected. You're younger than me. You're still strong. You said it yourself, you'll come back. You have to take her. The subtext of this monologue is rich with Joel's true feelings. He's not the cold-blooded killer he used to be because of the feelings he has developed for Ellie. He now has something to lose. The stakes are raised. He is scared. Scared to fail Ellie like he failed his daughter Sarah. To repeat his past mistakes. This is the fear that paralyzes him when things are about to go badly for Ellie. He'd rather leave her in Tommy's care than risk failing her. Thus repeating the same mistakes of his former self in this second opportunity life gave him to be the best version of himself. Tommy, you're the only one I trust. If anyone else sees those bites on her, what's under her skin, they'll shoot her. Thank you for watching. Check out my videos for more video essays on screenwriting or subscribe for future content.